Canada has Nazis

[turtlevette]

I crossed at the rainbow bridge last Wednesday and ran into a Canadian Nazi.

The crossing shack guy gave me a yellow sheet and said go inside. I spoke with a dude sitting behind a computer terminal wearing the biggest friggin flack jacket i've ever seen. He asks a bunch of questions in rapid fire sequence. Blah blah blah...."ever been in front of a Judge" right after asking if i have been conviced of a felony. I say NO.......wait.. well ....YEA in traffic court. He says i mean criminal court. Blah blah blah. He says go sit down. He calls me back to the desk. You say you've never been arrested. I just give him a blank stare. He says is it coming back to you now? I say yea back in 86 or 87 for reckless driving. He then accuses me of lieing to him. I told him i didn't remember him asking if i had been arrested and told him i had been honest about being in front of a judge. He said i can deny you entry because you lied to me but i'm going to cut you some slack because you have reservations at the Sheraton.

He said after 10 years they consider you rehabilitated. Rehibilitated of what. Just because someone is arrested doesn't mean they are convicted of anything. I didn't argue with him anymore but i hope this is not a sign of things to come. They have access to some grand database that recorded everything in your life including when you had your first orgasm.

BTW the inquisition room was full of 20 something males. My wife said i should be flattered.

[eastcoastbumps]

I had a crazy boarder crossing coming home from Tremblant. There were four of us in the van. I was driving, Paddy was riding shotgun and Clare and Raj were in the back. The rear windows are tinted and the officer couldn't see Clare or Raj. So he asked me to open the back door. No rear door on the passenger side and the rear door latch is broken on the inside. So Paddy hops out and opens the rear doors. "HEY! where are you going!?" He still couldn't see anyone in the back, so that didn't help. "Where is Rajan?" Then Raj nearly jumps from the back of the van into my lap. There was a lot of jumping around and I don't think the guy liked that. I thought we were in for it at that point, but they still let us through without too much hassle.

[enjoythemusic]

This is precisely why i crossed with a group last year for Calabogie. Below is something i wrote/experienced years ago. Had a rewrite as it appeared in various BIG newspapers back then. While the Canada folks weeks later sent me a letter saying if i had problems in the future yada yada, they never apologized to me. And now my article:

There's No Place Like Home...

Ya know, i truly regret starting off a fresh page with a partially unhappy article. For those of you wondering why there will be no coverage of the Canadian show by me here's the scoop. The Canadian border folks seem to be prejudice and you are guilty until proven innocent (among other things). During my waiting to cross the border it seems they allow folks dressed more, um, normally to easily pass through yet my attire and look are a bit more progressive. More on this later.

Driving to the border was long, and fought with snow, ice, and fog. Well, it's the least i can so for you, my loyal readers. My hopes were to report on what new, great, Canadian-made yummies would be available. Of course there were a few Canadian friends and manufactures i was very much looking forward to meeting as well. Once at the border they asked me a few questions where they couldn't verify my claims because their computer was down. So the waiting began per their suggestion in hopes of them verifying my information. After two hours they still couldn't verify the information so they sent me back to my homeland, America. During these two hours i decided to observe what was going on.

It seems that during these two hours they were very casual with folks who dressed more conservatively. Those folks could cross the border with little effort. Those who dressed more progressively (like me) were instead asked more questions and scrutinized harder. It was as though prejudice still lives and thrives in the Canadian government (at least in their border officials). Now i'm not claiming nor ever desire to be Mr. Perfect, yet my records of misdoing are over a decade old! In America we have what is called statues of limitations and one can repay their debit to society too. Canada must be different. In America we are also innocent before proven guilty. Again, in Canada they must have different laws.

After the two hour wait they suggested i try back tomorrow hoping their computers there would be working to verify my claims. They also said that if their computers still weren't working there i would be in the same 'wait and see' situation. So it was time to leave and call it a day, but only after they fully searched my car during my wait and found nothing illegal or unordinary Then again they did take two free cartridge alignment tools from the many i was carrying to give away to others. Well, even Canadians enjoy music on vinyl so they can't be all that bad :-{)+ . While driving back i needed gasoline. At the gasoline station a good idea came to me. Instead of driving home which takes many hours, i would try another border crossing which was one hour away in hopes their computer system was operational. At the second border crossing they let me right through. No problems at all! Unfortunately i wasn't in Canada more then five minutes did some border police stop me while in a phone booth calling Canadian friends. They escorted me back to the first border crossing facility which was almost an hour away where i was waiting for their computer to output my data.

Once at the first border crossing facility again they made many false accusations! It seems you are guilty until proven innocent in Canada (at least that's the feelings about it). They threatened to throw me in jail! They took away the keys to my car, my passport, my drivers license and my car registration! Then started to interrogate me for what must have been about two hours or so. It's funny... they started going on and on about jail and fines, then asked me (for the first time ever) how much money i was carrying. Hmmm... at that moment it felt like Canada might be more like a third world country where one can buy their way around the police or various situations. Of course i'm not rich so after all the interrogation they let me go back to America. This was a very, very sad day in my life. Actually the worst day in my life in over a decade!

During my long drive home there was time to go through many feelings. In the end it brings me joy to be a citizen of a wonderful country, the United States of America, where one's freedoms are protected. We highly value independence, freedom of expression, and you are innocent until proven otherwise. The American border folks were as amazed and shocked as i was about all this! During my drive home came many realizations. There are many things which are taken for granted daily, yet one should be more grateful for. Enjoying whatever music is available, the freedom to roam about this great land, driving a car... and even receiving mail via ground or electronically. Some countries still govern the internet and limit access! America was founded on freedom and there are many other great countries in the world too which are planned for a visit.

So as today is a new day and looking back on the events of yesterday in Canada has brought me many newly realized freedoms and deep gratitude. It's time to realize just how good life truly is. As a person who has traveled into many different countries, there are many wonderful places to visit. France, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Denmark, Australia, Germany, Estonia, and many others. It saddens me that at this point in time Canada will never, ever, no way in my lifetime be in my plans to visit. This truly saddens me considering how it's only a few hours drive away. Germany has a great countryside, beer and the autobahn, France has wonderful food and museums, there are many friends in the UK and have lived there too, and all my friends in Singapore would be great to party with! Then there's Norway, ooooh, what beautiful countryside! i hear that Denmark is great and Australia has some killer surfing! Just sooo many possibilities in life yet so little time and money.

In the end there is no place like home. Of course anywhere i roam, where i lay my head is home. Home resides inside all of us. Home is what you make of it too. Music, gratitude, freedoms, no prejudice or discrimination... In complete darkness we are all the same . It's only our knowledge and wisdom that separate us. Don't let your eyes deceive you.

[CP]

I too have been banned from Canadia for almost a decade now, eh, and I'm not crying about it.

[ctkag]

Wow - I've never had any issue going into Canada. Most of the hassle has always been on the return coming back into the US. Of course, there's always next time...

[rajito]

I agree with Keith. I've gone over and back more times than I've cared to count. I've never had a problem going into Canada. Their customs officials have been the friendliest, and in my experience, less likely to be power tripping assholes like the US customs.

Except for that one time I told them I had a rocket launcher in my trunk.
Raj

[StephanAlfa]

Greetings:
Being a Canadian and having worked as an interpreter for Canada Immigration in my younger days let me give you a piece of advice. BTW same works when you cross the border in the US. Officers are merely trying to establish CREDIBILITY. If you appear nervous, they'll pounce on it and ask more and more questions again to establish credibility.
If you hesitate, you are toast.
Respond with short and to the point answers and respond to only what he is asking (the more you talk the more you open doors for them to dig).
If you start by saying NO than stick to it. If you peddle back they'll aks more questions.
Sometimes and depending on the political agenda of the day, some officers will be more (or less) lenient.
Realize Canada is a sovereign nation (some of you think it's a US state eh?) and as such they have the say as to whom gets into their country.
Some of you may remember zero tolerance policies in Canada or strict control when there was a complaint about Canadian export wood being questioned or tainted beef isuues and other incidents. These are all related to politics and it carries a bearing at border entry. Location of entry is also key. Going into Canada via Vt or NY are distrinct because of the flow.
I feel sorry that you were subjected to such interrogation but I hardly consider any immigration officer as a "nazi". They are doing their job and reacting to they way you respond (body language. hesitation) and of course whether they had their mornign coffee or not

[cuda6666]

Only time I ever had trouble with US Customs was when they asked if I had anything to declare...and I said "Yea, Montreal needs a beltway."

[turtlevette]

Realize Canada is a sovereign nation (some of you think it's a US state eh?) and as such they have the say as to whom gets into their country.

I've crossed many times and never had a problem before. My point is NOW they have a database and things could be different so i'm just giving you guys a heads up.

I think of you statement above everytime i cross back into the states early in the morning on the QEII hwy and see hundreds if not thousands of Ontario plates heading into the US to their jobs.

[mr2sc]

Sheesh! Next time just say you're coming to visit me!
(but...if your Hip-Hop shorts are hanging off your butt exposing most of your underwear...I can't help you)

[brucesallen]

9 years ago my son was barred from entry to Canada at the age of 22 because he had a reckless driving ticket at the age of 16 when he flipped my RX7. Or maybe it was because he was driving a VW van with a bad flame job on the rear wheel wells.

[jrussell]

My point is NOW they have a database and things could be different so i'm just giving you guys a heads up.

They have had this for many many years. I used to live on the border in northeastern Vermont and crossed on almost a daily basis. They know everything I was ever accused of let alone convicted of. They also know how many times you cross the border. I'm 31 now and since I was 14 I have been dealing with customs. They had the databases back then also. It's nothing new at all for them, just for you since it seems to have been the first time you were questioned in depth.

For what it's worth I have a judicial "appearance" that was reduced greatly (in 1993) and after I got that all smoothed out with Canadian customs I never had a problem again UNTIL I used my spiffy new US Passport for the first time (2006). I got hauled in and questioned just like you explain again. After that I've had no problems since using my passport though.

Yes it can be intimidating and aggrivating but I just try to remember they are doing their job to try to keep their country secure.

[chaos4NH]

You know, if was a simple matter of keeping their country secure, I might cut them some slack. But that is not the simple case. I work for a company with many interests (read that we BUY LOTS of Canadian goods). I learned quickly that you did not tell them you were going to WORK, even if you mentioned to visit your their fine Canadian manufacturing facilities, or even if you mentioned you were going to visit your own company's manufacturing facility. That got you the damned yellow cards, and a reading of the riot act about NAFTA (did we really get sucked into that??), guest workers, blah blah blah. Turns out if you have ANYTHING worked related with you, it better not be export controlled, worth anything on the black market, etc.
Now, what they REALLY like is an NRA sticker! YA!! Then you have to get them all jazzed up when they ask what "Live Free or Die" on the license plate is all about. You just tell them, "oh, that's about when we kicked the Tories out of our country". Of course you have to realize that the Tories retreated to Canada!!
Then, of course, it is a real chuckle when they call the young lady "trainees" over and make them sort through your dirty undies!
Life it too short not to see the humor in it all.

[StephanAlfa]

Then you have to get them all jazzed up when they ask what "Live Free or Die" on the license plate is all about. You just tell them, "oh, that's about when we kicked the Tories out of our country". Of course you have to realize that the Tories retreated to Canada!!
Then, of course, it is a real chuckle when they call the young lady "trainees" over and make them sort through your dirty undies!
Life it too short not to see the humor in it all.

Granted in Quebec their plate is even more radical than ours in NH: "Je me Souviens" is a direct quote from their former Premier Rene Levesque who was a Separatist meaning " I will remember".
On the true (and joking side) lets us not forget that the ONLY country in history that ever beat the US was Canada. I personally don't think it was the Tories but rather 'mericans who decided to stay on the Canadian side during the prohibition (you know, to help the Bronfmans, the Kennedys and the Rockefellers to do their booze trade in the 1,000 islands region ). Could it be those same decendants who then impose the zero tolerance? :dontknow:
HA! you are right Sam, let's laugh about it! Happy Friday!

[mr2sc]

I cross to our USA Distribution Center in Plattsburgh NY every couple weeks just to meet with the Warehouse Mgr...and believe me, unless you feel like spending 1/2 day detained by US Customs, you do NOT say you are doing any actual 'WORK' in the USA.

Otherwise, you need a work permit.

The word 'meet' is OK, but nothing more...even when grilled.

Yeah, our 'Je Me Souviens' license plates are an embarrassment (to Anglos anyway), but to those of us old enough, it refers to remembering far back enough pre-Separatist, pre-FLQ